Here there be dragons
by Rather be a Unicorn
Summary: This Shadowhunter-story takes place after the events of episode 2x19 and is told from Alec and Magnus's POV. I hope to finish this story before the season's finale on Monday night. I hope you'll enjoy this story. Constructive criticism is always appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was just after midnight when Alec stumbled into his bedroom. For years he had considered this room to be his home, his sanctuary, but now it felt as impersonal as a hotel room.

This whole day had just been a cluster fuck of epic proportions. The Council Meeting with the Downworlders could not have been any worse. Seeing Magnus again had torn his heart out. He'd only managed to keep it together by the sheer strength of will.

With a frustrated groan, he kicked off his boots and lied down on the bed. The bed he had barely slept in the last couple of weeks, the bed that was no way near as comfortable as Magnus's bed... By the Angel, he missed him... And now Magnus had sided with the Seelie Queen, that deceptive little bitch that Alec wouldn't trust as far as he could throw her. Surely Magnus saw through her lies? He had to have known that the Seelie Queen only did what was best for the Seelie Queen, even at the cost of her own people.

With a strangled sigh, he rolled on to his side, staring at the sterile walls of his room. There was nothing personal here, nothing that screamed 'Alec Lightwood'. That probably was telling enough of who he was, but with Magnus, it had been different.

All his life Alec had been focused on his one true goal and that was becoming Head of the Institute. And now that he had accomplished that, he found that it held very little joy anymore. With Magnus, he'd finally come alive. Coming home to him in the evening, sitting down with a drink and chatting to each other about their day, after which they always ended up falling asleep in each other's arms...

But all of that was gone and Alec doubted if it would ever come back. Magnus had left him. Alec had truly believed that they would find their way back to each other again eventually, but after seeing him with the Seelie Queen, he wasn't so sure. By violating the Accords, Magnus had basically cut all ties to the Clave and the Shadowhunters, Alec included.

Alec hadn't informed the Council about the whereabouts of the mirror. He'd been planning to, but decided against it when he found out that the Seelie Queen would be leading the Downworld from now on.

And if things weren't bad enough, Valentine had tried to portal out of the city... Thank the Angel that Luke wasn't nearly as eager to bow to the Seelie Queen's every whim as Magnus appeared to be, because otherwise the Institute wouldn't even have known about Valentine's attempt to escape. But Valentine trying to leave the city could only mean one thing: he knew the Mortal Mirror wasn't in the Institute, even though Alec had no idea how Valentine found out about that. Was there another traitor among them? Well, if that was the case he didn't have to worry about being Head of the Institute much longer anyway. If another of Valentine's minions had managed to infiltrate the Institute under Alec's watch, he would probably be demoted and perhaps even lose his runes.

Well, at least they'd eliminated Jonathan, that was about the only thing that went well today.

Yawning, he rolled onto his back. He really needed to get some sleep while he could, but his mind just wouldn't shut down. Images of Magnus flooded his brain. It was no use, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't stop thinking about him. Did Magnus miss him too? It certainly hadn't looked like it during the Council meeting. For the first time Alec had seen Magnus as Magnus Bane, the all powerful High Warlock of Brooklyn, in all of his aloofness, barely giving a mere mortal like Alec Lightwood the time of day. He hadn't even looked Alec right in the eye when Alec asked him if it was true that the Seelie Queen would be representing the Downworld from now on.

 _Maybe his feelings for you just don't run as deep as yours..._

Magnus had had 17000 lovers, and even though Alec wanted to believe that what they had was special, he knew that when he would eventually die - provided they would stay together that long - Magnus would move on to have another 17000 lovers after him.

Because that's what immortals do... And hadn't his mother and father warned him that Magnus was 'a bit of a Lothario', even for a warlock?

With a frustrated groan, he pounded into his pillow. It was no use, sleep wouldn't come tonight, he was sure of it. He must have dozed off however, because when Izzy's screams woke him up, sunlight had started to creep through the curtains.

'For the Angel's sake, Alec! Wake up!' His sister sounded as if she was on the verge of a complete meltdown.

'Jeez, what -'

'There's a dragon, Alec! There's a dragon in Central Park.'


	2. Chapter 2

Dragons... Unbelievable, Alec thought when he walked into Central Park with Jace, lzzy, and Clary. It was just after 6 in the morning and around them the city was starting to wake up.

Of course, Alec knew dragons existed, but in a different realm and they never really wandered outside. So how the hell did a dragon end up in Central Park? Someone must have summoned it as some sort of diversion tactic, but who? Valentine was the most obvious choice, but Alec doubted he would be able to pull that off on his own. Not without Jonathan anyway, and Jonathan was dead.

"This is it." Jace stood still and pointed to the sky, where indeed a dragon was flapping its magnificent wings.

O boy, they were going to have a hell of a problem covering this one up for the Mundanes... Thankfully, Luke had managed to close off the area within minutes, claiming that it was a closed set for a film shoot, but still...

All of a sudden, the beast turned toward them, roaring and breathing fire.

"Quick! Jace pushed them behind a wall.

"You know that this wall is not going to protect us if Foulmouth up there decides that it wants to have us as the main course for its early morning barbecue." Izzy made it sound like a joke, but Alec could hear a slight tremor in his sister's voice. This creature was like nothing they ever encountered before.

"No, but seeing us seemed to aggravate it even more," Jace said.

The air around them was drenched with the foul stench of sulfur. If they stayed here too long, they would probably pass out from the creature's toxic breath.

"So does anyone have any ideas other than brute force?" Jace asked.

"Ideas on how to kill a dragon?" Clary responded. "That Game of Thrones episode has not been aired yet, I think. But surely the Clave has Daenerys on speed-dial?" Jace, Alec and Izzy gave her a puzzled look. "Nevermind."

"Okay, well... Brute force it is then," Alec said. He grabbed an arrow from his quiver. "I'll shoot him in the eye, make him come down after me. Jace, Izzy, as soon as he lands, strike him with everything you got. Clary, stay with Jace, just in case the Angel decides to send you a dragon vanquishing rune." He shot a brief look to the sky. "Which would be really convenient right now, Ithuriel!" He nodded to his friends. "Don't come out until he crashes down, okay?"

"It's breathing fire again, Alec," Izzy yelled. "Be careful, please."

Alec waited a brief moment and then stepped on the exact spot where the dragon's breath had scorched the earth seconds ago. "Relax," he said. "I got this." He took aim and waited. If he shot too quickly and missed, the dragon would go berserk and New York City would be toast. And if he waited too long ... Well, same outcome.

"C'mon, come to Daddy!" he whispered.

In what felt like hours but probably wasn't more than a couple of seconds, the dragon finally seemed to take notice of him. Even though the creature was up in the air, Alec could see the yellow slits of its eyes looking at him.

Now! The echo of his thumping heart drummed in his ears as he released his arrow, straight into the dragon's eye.

The beast roared in agony and released fire before it came crashing down to earth.

"Go!" Jace yelled.

Immediately they all moved forward as one.

''Stay away from his face!" Izzy screamed.

Jace had already planted his sword in the side of the beast. Black blood spluttered all over him.

The beast looked back and released an earsplitting roar.

"Jace, let go!" Alec yelled. It would only be a matter of seconds before the dragon would release another breath of fire. A paralyzing fear gripped his body in a vice.

"I can't! I can't let go!"

Alec felt a surge of panic through their _parabatai_ bond and he started to run towards Jace.

"No!" Clary screamed.

"Clary, stay back!" Jace yelled.

"The hell I will! I told you, I am not losing anyone else today, Jace Wayland." She grabbed Jace's hand and then all of sudden there was a blinding flash of lightning.

"Izzy, get down!" Alec screamed and dove to the ground. When he looked up. Jace, Clary and the dragon were gone.

"What happened?" Izzy screamed, scrambling to her feet. "What the fuck just happened?"

Alec remained frozen on the ground, looking at the place where Jace and Clary had vanished into thin air. With. A. Fucking. Dragon. "Valentine. Has to be."

Izzy looked at him, a startled look in her eyes. "So what do we do now?"

What could they do? They really only had one option and if they failed, they were all screwed. "Now, little sis..." Alec said, grim determination lacing his voice. "Now we're off to see the wizard."

 **SNEAK PEEK into the next update:**

 _"I could lose everything simply by just being in the same room with you, Magnus! And you know what? I don't care. Because if Valentine manages to summon Raziel, there won't even be a tomorrow._

 _"For the Downworlders. No fear, Shadowhunters will live to see another day," Magnus said sarcastically._

 _Exasperated, Alec threw his hands in the air. "You still don't get it, do you? If I wake up tomorrow in a world that doesn't have you..." His voice broke. "By the Angel, Magnus, I might as well be dead."_


	3. Chapter 3

Magnus woke up at the incessant ringing of his mobile.

"Fuck off!" he shouted to no one in particular.

His head felt as if someone had organised a rave inside his skull. Unable to sleep, haunted by memories of a certain Shadowhunter that shall remained unnamed, he drank himself into oblivion last night. Anything to chase these ghosts away, even if it was only for a few hours.

The ringing stopped, but immediately started again. Magnus looked at his screen, the small movement causing a jolt of pain in his head.

"Lucian," he growled after he answered the call. "What possible reason could you have to wake me up at..." Magnus looked at the clock. "...six thirty in the morning."

"Someone released a shit storm on New York this morning," Luke said. "A dragon."

That was enough to fully wake Magnus up. "A dragon? That's... That's impossible."

"And yet it's true."

A dragon... Magnus had never actually encountered one, because even though those creatures could teleport on their own without a portal, they rarely ventured out of their own realm. Unless they were summoned... But summoning a dragon was no small feat. It was like an ant trying to get an elephant to bow to his will. If a New York warlock would attempt something like that, the amount of magic required to pull it off would not have gone unnoticed. However, a High Faery could do it...

"Dear Lord." Magnus pinched the bridge of his nose, while all of the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. "Valentine used a dragon to teleport out of New York. And he must have had help from a High Faery... This is bad, Lucian."

There was a pause on the other side. "You sure? Because if what you 're saying is true, the Seelie Queen..."

"Double-crossed us. She must have struck up some deal with Valentine."

"But why?" Luke asked.

"I don't know. And judging on the fact that she unleashed a dragon upon New York, she doesn't care that we know about her alliance with Valentine either." Magnus sighed. "It doesn't matter. First we need to do exert some damage control, than we'll worry about the Bitch Queen. Where's the dragon now?"

Again, there was a pause. "It's gone. I did not see Valentine in Central Park, but the dragon took Jace and Clary with him when he teleported out."

O God, just when he thought things possibly couldn't get any worse...

"Alec assumes they were taken to Idris, seeing that that's supposedly where the Mortal Mirror is: Lake Lynn." Luke sighed. " I should probably warn you that he is on his way to see you."

No sooner had the words left Luke's mouth or there was a loud banging on his door.

"Magnus, open up!'' he heard a familiar voice yell.

"And there he is already." Magnus's heart skipped a beat. "Lucian, gather your pack and try to find somewhere safe. Whatever you do, stay away from the Queen." But then again, Luke had never been fond of their alliance with the Seelie Queen. Magnus himself had pushed the Downworlders into it, and only because Alec's betrayal had stung so much that Magnus had just wanted to lash out and hurt him back.

"Gotta go," Luke said. "I will call you later."

"Magnus, I know you're in there!" sounded Alec's voice again. "Please, open up!"

Magnus opened the door.

Alec looked like hell. His eyes were bloodshot and the black smudges under his eyes indicated that he probably hadn't had a wink of sleep over the last couple of days. And that somehow melted some of Magnus's anger away...

But not all of it. "You're sure you want to be seen with a mere Downworlder, Shadowhunter?"

Alec looked as if Magnus had struck him in the face and Magnus immediately regretted his words.

"Magnus, it's Jace... Please, I need your help."

"You need a portal to Idris," Magnus stated matter of factly. "I just spoke to Luke," he added when he saw Alec's puzzled look.

Alec nodded. "I think Valentine used a dragon to get out of the city, just so he could avoid the wards you placed. And I think he used the same dragon to take Jace and Clary away. Though I have no clue how he pulled that off."

Magnus swallowed. "The Seelie Queen helped him."

Shock flashed in Alec's eyes, but he quickly schooled his expression back to neutral. "I see."

"That's all you have to say?"

"Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, Magnus," Alec sighed.

"The Shadowhunters have a traitor in their midst too. Another traitor that managed to sneak in under my watch," he scoffed. "Regardless, Valentine knows about Lake Lynn being the Mortal Mirror and seeing as he has the cup and the Soulsword... Well, you know what that implicates." Alec rubbed a hand over his face. "I can sense through our _parabatai_ bond that Jace is in pretty bad shape. I need to get to him."

The words somehow stung. "So you only want to go to Lake Lyn to save your brother?"

Alec's eyes lit up in anger. "If you truly believe that, than you really don't know me at all."

Magnus shrugged his shoulders. "So it seems." It was a low blow and he knew it, but Alec's betrayal had left a gaping hole in his heart and Magnus had no idea how he could heal it.

"Look, you violated the Accords," Alec said, raising his hands when Magnus tried to protest. "And I get why you had to do that, but if the Clave finds out I'm here, begging you for help, I could lose everything. I can lose everything simply by just being in the same room with you, Magnus! My runes, my life... And you know what? I couldn't care less. Because if Valentine manages to summon Raziel, there won't even be a tomorrow anyway."

"For the Downworlders. Never fear, your precious Shadowhunters will live to see another day," Magnus said, venom lacing his voice.

Alec threw his hands in the air, exasperiation written all over his face. "You still don't get it, do you? If I wake up tomorrow in a world that doesn't have you..." His voice broke. "By the Angel, Magnus, I might as well be dead." He shook his head, despair so clearly written all over his face that it broke Magnus's heart. "I'm sorry. I have no right to ask anything from you anymore, I know that. Forget it." He turned around and strided towards the elevator. "I'll figure out another way to get to Idris."

In the blink of an eye Magnus made up his mind. In truth, he had already made up his mind when he saw Alec standing on his doorstep, but he had just been to bullheaded to admit it. "Alexander, wait!"

Alec stood still, with his back still towards Magnus.

Magnus walked toward him and looked Alec straight in the eye. "I'll help you... On one condition."

"What?" Alec snapped.

The distrust in Alec's voice nearly killed him on the inside. "I go with you." When he saw Alec's mouth opening in protest, he added, "That's non-negotiable, Alexander. This is about the survival of all of us. Together we stand a better chance."

Alec nodded. "Fine. Thanks. Can we go now?"

Magnus moved his hands and flames erupted, followed by a portal. "Your portal awaits, Shadowhunter."


	4. Chapter 4

The force of traveling through a portal made Alec stumble and Magnus instinctively reached out a hand to steady him. A jolt of awareness swept through Alec's body and he quickly stepped aside. "Thanks," was all he could muster.

Magnus looked at him, a strange look in his eyes. "So, what do we do now?"

Alec looked around at him. Something was off. It was supposed to be summer in Idris, but the sky was dark as night, even though it was only midday in Idris. It was so cold that he could see puffs of his breath in the air, and he involuntarily shivered. An eerie silence surrounded them. No summer breeze, no chattering birds... "I don't know," Alec admitted. "My plan was to get to Idris, I hadn't really thought much further."

"Okay..."

"I didn't ask you to come with me, did I?" he snapped.

"I was hardly going to let you go alone, Alexander," said Magnus.

 _Why not? You had no trouble walking away from me before..._

But Alec swallowed the words, knowing that it wasn't fair. Magnus had every right to walk out on him that night. He only had himself to blame for this mess. By lying to Magnus about the Soulsword he had maneuvered Magnus into the exact position where the Seelie Queen had wanted him to be. Shadowhunters against Downworlders. He had no idea how Valentine fit in with the Queen's devious game of chess but at this point, it didn't really matter. He needed to get to Jace and Clary.

"Where is Izzy?" Magnus asked.

"She went to Raphael, to warn him about what happened. During the day there like sitting ducks in the Hotel Du Mort, so..."

Worry creased Magnus's brown. "And you are okay with that? With Izzy going to Raphael?"

Actually, he wasn't, not really. "She's come a long way since then," was all he said.

"So you just decided to go at it alone?" Magnus demanded incredulously. "My god, Alec, that's just..."

"At this point, I don't know who I can trust." Alec cut him off abruptly.

A flash of hurt lit up in Magnus's eyes and he immediately regretted his choice of words. "That didn't come out right," he said softly. "I do trust you, Magnus."

"Even after I violated the Accords?" Magnus asked.

"I didn't give you much choice." Alec shrugged his shoulders. "Shall we go? Jace told me that Valentine used to take him to a cabin by the lake when he was still a kid. Maybe that's a good place to start."

"Something is not right," Magnus noted after they had been walking in silence for ten minutes in the woods surrounding the lake.

"Yeah, I noticed that too." It felt as if the world was holding its breath before it would deal one last devastating blow. "Magnus, for what it's worth..." Alec took a deep breath. "I didn't know about Lake Lynn being the Mortal Mirror when you left Max' room. And I wanted to tell you, Raphael and Luke during the emergency Council meeting the next day, but then the Seelie Queen was there as well, so..."

"I understand. It's just that -"

"Wait." Alec grabbed Magnus by the arm. "Did you hear that?"

Above them was a rustling of wings and all of a sudden a gust of fire swept through the woods. Alec didn't hesitate one second and immediately pushed Magnus to the ground and covered Magnus's body with his to protect him.

"Magnus, are you okay?" Alec whispered, his hand involuntarily moving to brush Magnus's hair out of his face, catching himself just in time as he realized that he no longer had the right to touch Magnus. He rolled of Magnus and pushed to his feet. The unexpected physical contact had startled him, Magnus's scent filling his nostrils... But there was no time for that now. From the corner of his eyes, he saw that the trees were catching fire and they needed to get away from here.

"Yeah, yeah... I'm fine. What was that?" asked Magnus, standing up beside Alec.

"Looks like another dragon. Or maybe it was the same one I encountered in Central Park. Don't know, but we need to get to the shore. The forest is catching fire. Listen..." He turned to Magnus, a pleading look in his eyes. "Portal back to New York, Magnus. This isn't your battle."

Anger flashed up in Magnus's eyes. "The hell it is, Alexander! The future of my people is at stake here."

"I know, I know... I'm sorry, it's just..." Alec screamed in agony and doubled over.

Magnus was immediately by his side. "What's wrong, Alec?"

"It's the _parabatai_ bond," Alec gasped. "Jace's life is in serious danger. We need to move, now!"

"Are you okay to walk?" Magnus asked, worry etched all over his face.

Alec didn't respond but grabbed Magnus" arm and started running.

"Wouldn't we be like sitting ducks on the shore?" Magnus asked.

"Better a sitting duck than a fried duck."

They had reached the edge of the forest and hid behind a tree. The dragon was suspended above the water, its magnificent wings flapping as if it was waiting for Alec and Magnus to come out of hiding.

Alec looked at Magnus. "Any ideas on how to kill a dragon?"

Magnus gave Alec a bewildered look. "You mean you walked into Central Park this morning to kill a dragon, without actually knowing how to?"

Alec gave a lopsided grin. "Pretty much. There wasn't time, we were just winging it. No pun intended."

Magnus shook his head. "None indeed." But the thought about what could've happened to Alec chilled him to the bone. "I don't know how to actually kill a dragon, but from what I've heard there is a spot on his throat that immobilizes his ability to breathe fire if you pierce it."

"Okay. Where exactly do I need to hit him?" Alec asked, retrieving an arrow from his quiver.

"Small spot that's lighter than the rest of his skin. Or so I've heard."

"I need to get closer to him."

Magnus grabbed him by the shoulders. "Alec, are you crazy? The minute you step away from the trees, it will pounce on you."

"Then I will just have to be quick, won't I?"

"No." Magnus's grip on his shoulder tightened. He had once said that Alec Lightwood would blow up the very ground he was standing on in order to make things right, but there was no way Magnus was going to let him go out there and face a dragon on his own. "I'll wrap my magic around him first, hold him still and then you can shoot your arrow. Understood?"

Alec nodded. "Okay."

Magnus released Alec and started to work on the dragon. It required an immense finesse to wrap the blue tendrils of his magic around the dragon without the creature noticing it. Sweat furrowed his brow and he could feel Alec's worried gaze resting upon him. After what felt like an eternity all the tendrils were in place and Magnus gave a mental pull, securing the dragon in place.

The dragon realized it was captured and released an earsplitting roar, followed by a gust of fire. It was strong, o so very strong...

"You need to do it now, Alexander," he panted. "I am not sure how long I can hold him."

Alec nodded. "Don't worry." He moved away from the trees, out on the beach, towards the dragon, making sure to stay out of the line of fire. He looked up, frantically searching for a slight discrepancy on the scales of the creature's throat. But the dragon was too far up for him to properly see. "Fuck," he muttered. He retrieved his stele from his pocket and activated his Farsighted rune. To his surprise, his hand trembled when he picked up his arrow again. If he missed, it could cost Magnus his life... He could lose Jace, Clary...

No, he couldn't let his emotions get the better of him, he scolded himself. He was born to do this. Once again, he looked at the dragon. At first, he didn't see it, but then all of a sudden he saw it. A small spot on its throat that had a slightly lighter color than the rest of his scales. It was also one of the most difficult shots he had to make. He took aim, released his arrow and... Just as he released the arrow, a new surge of pain jolted through his _parabatai_ bond. The arrow missed, hitting the dragon at the side of his face and it roared in agony.

"Alec, look out!" he heard Magnus screaming from the tree, and he could barely dive out of the way of the gust of fire the dragon shot at him.

"Not sure how much longer I can hold him!" Magnus yelled.

"I know," Alec responded. "Just hold on." Quick as lightning he grabbed another arrow, took aim and released without thinking.

This time, he didn't miss, hitting the creature at that one tiny spot on his throat. The dragon reared its head furiously, flapping his wings, straining against the blue tendrils of Magnus's magic.

Alec ran back to the forest, just in time to see Magnus falling on his knees to the ground.

"Magnus, by the Angel..." Instinctively, he pulled Magnus against him and grabbed his hand. "Take my strength. Take what you need, now!"

"Alec, I can't -"

"You have to, Magnus. You've depleted too much of your magic and the Angel knows that we're going to need it later." He felt a faint crackle of electricity as Magnus gently pulled some of Alec's strength towards himself,

Alec looked over his shoulder. Even though the tendrils of Magnus's magic had vanished, the pain seemed to have immobilized the dragon. For now, Alec thought. They were running out of time.

Magnus felt his magic regenerating and pulled his hand out of Alec's. Holding the dragon in place had depleted his reserves, but he was afraid to take more of Alec's strength. For now, he had enough magic to conjure up a portal to escape should the need arise.

A chilling scream pierced the silence.

"Clary!" Alec exclaimed. He stood up, but he immediately surged to the ground like a rag doll, trashing and throbbing.

Magnus felt a crippling fear like he had never felt before wash over him. "Alexander! Alec! For the love of God, what's wrong!"

Alec grabbed Magnus's hand as if it was the only thing left that tethered him to this mortal existence. "It's Jace..." Alec panted. "Jace is dead."

"You –"

"I can feel it. I can feel it through the bond." Sweat shone on Alec's brow and his hand felt clammy to the touch. "I'm not... I'm not going to make it, Magnus."

Tears welled up in Magnus's eyes. "Yes. Yes, you are, Alec. Just stay with me."

Alec looked up. His physical pain didn't even come close to the pain in his heart. He hadn't been able to save Jace and Clary. He had betrayed Magnus, and now Magnus was possibly going to die because of him as well. "Magnus... I'm so sorry. About everything. It's all my fault," he choked. The pain nearly made it impossible for him to speak, but there was just one more thing he needed to say. One more thing that Magnus needed to hear. "Magnus, I love you." And then the whole world went black.


	5. Chapter 5

Alec woke in the middle of the night, vaguely aware of satin sheets and a matrass that made him feel as if he was floating on a clouds

"Jace," he murmured. "I need to get to Jace..." He tried to get up, but his body lacked strength.

He felt the tender press of familiar lips on his forehead. "Go back to sleep, Alexander. You need to rest."

Alec opened his mouth to protest, but before he could utter a word, sleep overtook him once more.

"He woke up in the middle of the night," Alec heard Magnus say as he drifted back into consciousness.

"So he's out of the woods," Izzy responded, relief in her voice. "Thank the Angel."

Alec could hear a muffled sob. "Yes. Thank the Angel."

"And you, Magnus. If it hadn't been for you, Alec never would've made it back. If I'd lost him..." His sister's voice broke.

Alec tried to speak, let them know he was awake, but his throat felt like parchment.

"You need to get some rest, Magnus. You've barely left his bedside the last three days."

Three days? Had he really been out that long?

Alec gently squeezed the hand that was holding his.

"Alexander! You're awake.'

Magnus's face swam into view, followed by Izzy's. "Hey there, big brother. You scared the living daylights out of us."

"Sorry," he managed to respond.

"I should call some people, tell them that you're awake." Magnus attempted to let go of Alec's hand, but Alec clung to it like it was a lifeline.

"Please, don't leave me," Alec whispered.

"I'll go and call Mom to tell her you're awake." Izzy pressed a soft kiss to his cheek and left the bedroom.

An awkward silence descended upon the room.

"So... How do you feel?" Magnus asked.

"Like I've been hit by a freight train." He looked at Magnus, dreading the next question. "What happened to Jace? I felt him die, but the parabatai rune is still there."

Magnus sighed. "He did die by Valentine's hand. But Clary managed to change one of the runes, so when Raziel descended he killed Valentine and granted Clary her wish. And she wished for Jace to be brought back to life."

Jace was alive! Relief washed over Alec, but that feeling faded quickly when he saw the anguish in Magnus's eyes.

"However..." Magus voice trailed away as if he dreaded telling him the next part. "Jace's resurrection caused a natural imbalance. One that made it possible for the Greater Demon Lilith to resurrect Jonathan as well and tie his lifeforce to Jace's, basically enslaving Jace to Jonathan."

"O God..." Nausea churned in Alecs stomach.

"We know where Jace is," Magnus continued. "But we don't know how to release him from Jonathan's grasp."

"And Clary?"

"She's heartbroken, but physically she's fine."

Alec looked at Magnus, noticing for the first time how dishevelled he looked. He seemed to have aged ten years since they had been at Lake Lyn.

"You fell to the ground when Jace died and at some point you stopped breathing. The dragon was closing in on us and I portalled us out. I wanted to go back for Jace, for Clary, but my magic was depleted and..." Magnus's voice broke. "I am so sorry, Alexander."

"Why?" Alec asked astonished. "You got dragged into this mess against your will. You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I didn't save Jace. Clary made it back alive thankfully, but that had nothing to do with me. And you nearly died there..." A sob escaped from Magnus's lips.

It tore Alec apart to see Magnus so heartbroken over something he had no power of. "Magnus," he whispered. "Will you lie next to me for a while?"

Magnus nodded and climbed on the bed, still clutching to Alec's hand as if he never wanted to let go ever again.

"We didn't know how Jace's resurrection and his subsequent enslavement to Sebastian would affect the parabatai bond," Magnus continued. "Something like that has obviously never happened before, and when you weren't waking up..." Magnus rolled onto his side and their eyes met. "I have never been so scared in my life, Alexander."

Alec swalloded. He hadn't expected to ever be this close to Magnus again, but the price they both had to pay to find their way back to each other had been extremely high.

"Why did you bring me here?" Alec asked.

Magnus shrugged. "In truth I didn't really even consider bringing you back to the Institute. I mean, you did say there was a traitor so I wasn't even sure if you would be safe there, but also... Bringing you home with me just came natural to me."

Home.With Magnus. Alec's heart was filled with sadness over what happened to Jace, but these three little words managed to push some of the darkness away.

"Magnus," he said softly, gazing into Magnus's beautiful eyes. "There is no place in the world l'd rather be than here with you. You know that, right?"

"So much has happened..."

Alec felt his heart sank. "I know. And it's all my fault."

"I think we both made some critical errors in the decision making department, Alexander," Magnus said dryly.

Alec took a deep breath. "I'm not so sure if I want to remain head of the lnstitute anymore.l thought it was what I always wanted and it's something I've been working towards my whole life, but how... It doesn't really mean anything anymore. The Clave will always regard Downworlders as second class citizens and I don't want to be a part of that anymore."

Magnus squeezed his hand. "I think both the Downworld and the Shadowhunters need someone like you now more than ever, Alexander. Apparently it was the consul that fed Valentine information from within the Clave. He's missing and nobody knows where he is, but there is an enormous power struggle going on within the Clave, between those that want to work together with the Downworld and those that want to wipe us from the face of the earth and every other dimension." Magnus put a hand to his cheek. "Difficult times lie ahead of us, but you're a good leader, Alexander Lightwood. We need you." Magnus looked him straight in the eye. "I need you."

"And I need you," Alec whispered. "I've missed you so much, Magnus."

Magnus pressed a soft kiss to Alec's lips. "Not half as much as I've missed you, Shadowhunter."

Alecs lip curved into a tender smile. "I love you, Magnus Bane."

"And I love you, Alexander."

Maryse Lightwood peered around the corner of Magnus's bedroom. Both her son and Magnus were fast asleep, exhausted from all that happened the last couple of days.

She gazed lovingly at her son. He looked peaceful, happy and she couldn't recall the last time she had seen him so at ease with himself. Maybe she never had, until Magnus came into Alecs life. In truth, Magnus Bane had been the last person she wanted as a son-in-law, but seeing how happy he had made Alec, she had slowly started to come around.

Dark times lay ahead of them, but if a Shadowhunter and a warlock could fall in love and move heaven and earth to be together, perhaps there was still hope for all of them.

THE END


End file.
